Sealing apparatus



Feb. 26, 1946. G FRY ETAL 2,395,387

SEALING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Feb. 26, 1946.

G. H. FRY EI'AL 2,395,387

SEALING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /NVENTORS 62-0265 Fey w/u MM a. EEC/C 1946- ca. HQFRY ETAL SEALING APPARATUS Filed April 22, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 NVENTOR.

FE Y BEG/6..

ATTO RA/EV GEO/P65 WALL/AM d Patented Feb. 26, 1946 SEALING APPARATUS George Henry Fry, New Hyde Park, and William J. Beck, Yonkers, N. Y.

Application April 22, 1943, Serial No. 484,014

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a sealing and crimping apparatus for bass and the like.

In the devices of this type heretofore used and in which the sealing jaws are moved together by mechanical action, no protection is aflorded the operator's fingers from getting caught between the pressure jaws; nor is any preliminary warning given him of their approach. Thus serious injury to the operator has often resulted from the operation of these conventional apparatus in connection with which the material to be sealed must be gripped manually.

Another obstacle in these devices is the tendency of the sealed material to adhere to the sealing jaws when they separate, thus resulting in rips and other damage.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide in a sealing apparatus a gripperstripper-guard member which may be moved into engagement with the material to be sealed in advance of the scaling laws so as to hold it in place for the sealing operation and be maintained in such position until the jaws have separated so as to strip the material therefrom.

Another object is to control the actuation of the sealing jaws by delaying the sealing movement thereof until the gripper-stripper-guard member has been moved a predetermined distance. Thus the jaws will remain stationary as long as the fingers of the operator are still between the jaws.

A further object is to provide a sealing apparatus in which the sealing jaws may be adjusted to operate in any position between the vertical and horizontal planes without moving the power plant or changing the actuating mechanisms.

In heat sealing apparatus, the heated jaw. whether made of nonferrous or ferrous metal, may become distorted when heat is applied thereto. In some of the prior constructions this problem has been solved by employing a backing member or lower jaw of rubber or similar highly resilient material. However, apart from the problem' of obtaining the necessary amount of rubber for this purpose, such a jaw has to yield so as to conform to any probable distortion of the upper heated jaw and with a distorted upper jaw, there will be a differential in sealing pressure along the working surface because of the high points and low points of the distorted jaw. Inasmuch as time, heat and pressure are the essential factors of good sealing, this differential pressure is a distinct objection.

It is, therefore, an additional object of the present invention to provide a backing member or lower jaw which will cause the pressure to be distributed evenly over the entire working surface without compression of the backing member.

Other objects and advantages inherent in the invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the ac-- companying drawings, which disclose by way of example an embodiment of the invention, and in which:

Fig. l is a section taken along the line |-l of Figure 2.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation partly in section of a sealing apparatus according to the invention.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the sealing apparatus shown in Figure 2 showing in dotted lines the position when turned at Fig. 4 is a view with a portion broken away of the clutch mechanism.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of one end of the apparatus.

Throughout the drawings the same reference characters serve to denote the same or analogous parts. I

The machine according to the invention contemplates rapid and accurate timed sealing of the ends of package enclosures, such as paper bags, and cardboard boxes, preferably with heat treatment.

Referring in greater detail .to the drawings, the apparatus comprises a pair of side frames III which are pivotally mounted on the shaft H which in turn is journaled in the base members l2. The latter are mounted on a table or a similar supporting surface raised above the floor.

The base members l2 are provided with an arcuate slot I 3 which serves as a guide-way for the bolts ll of the side frames Hi. This construction makes it possible to swing the entire frame including the entir sealin mechanism about the shaft H from the vertical plane in which it is shown in Figure 1 to the horizontal plane as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3. In the latter position the apparatus can be used for sealing heavy bags or packages which may be slid bya conveyor or similar machinery (not shown in the drawings) beneath the sealing mechanism.

The sealing mechanism comprises a pair of sealing jaws l5 and It. In the embodiment shown the jaw I5 is stationary and is supported on two bars I! which are removably mounted in a recess in the frame by means of bolts I8 and spacers I9. A platen 20 is supported on the support the material being sealed while still being flexible enough to conform to a possible distortion of the upper jaw. The platen is preferably provided with a cloth covering 22 to prevent dissipation of heat through contact of the heated jaw member with the non-heated jaw.

The jaw l8 comprises a heating element 23 which may be regulated by the control 24, and is suspended from the bar 25 by means of the straps 28 and yieldingly spaced therefrom by a series of springs 21. A pin 28 on the jaw i8 is accommodated for reciprocation in a corresponding recess in the bar 25 for the purpose of preventing lateral movement of the jaw.

The jaw i8 is reciprocated or moved into engagement with the jaw is by means of the pressure lever 28 which is provided with a roller 38 engaging in the yoke 3|. As will be noted from Figure 2 of the drawings a pressure lever is pro vided adjacent opposite ends of the bar 25.

The pressure lever 28 is fulcrumed to fulcrum rod 32 (Figures 1 and 2) which is mounted in bearing 33 at opposite ends of the frame. A stiifening or tie rod 34 mounted in auxiliary bearings 85 is provided for purposes of re-inforcement of-the fulcrum bar 32.

The pressure lever 29 together with the bar and the jaw ii are actuated by the pressure adjusting rod 88 which engages the lever yoke 8'! and the cam yoke 38 by oppositely screwthreaded ends. Thus the length of the rod 38 can be adjusted and consequently-the pressure of the sealing jaws by turning the fixed nut 39.

The yoke 28 is provided with a pair of cam followers 88 which engage the cam or eccentric ll which is mounted on the shaft ll to rotate therewith. Thus when the cam is rotated the rod 28 will be reciprocated, the high and the low surfaces on the cam representing the engaged and disengaged positions of the sealing jaws.

A pair of movable jaw guides 42 (Figure 2) is provided adjacent each end of the frame.

The gripper-stripper-guard combination comprises a pair of sliding members 43 which engage the guidelates 84 at opposite ends of the frame by means of the pins 48 moving in slots 48 in the plates. and the strip or bar A1. The strip 41 is connected to the o: the pins 48 and the pins 88 and the spacers 4 The lower edge of the strip 41 is preferably bent outward to provide a larger engaging surface and an apron 58 is mounted on the lower jaw II.

The entire combination is reciprocated by means of the stripper levers ill at opposite ends of the frame which engages the rollers 52 on the sliding members 42 by means of the recess 53 at one end and at the other end is fulcrumed to the rod 22. Y

The stripper levers ii are actuated by the link it which is pivoted to bar 55. The link 54 may be made of two overlapping parts engaging one another by means of pins 51 and slots 58 for the purpose of adjustment. It will be understood from the foregoing that the entire gripper- 'stripper-guard combination can be moved independently by actuation of link 84.

The clutch mechanism controlled by the gripper-strlpper-guard combination comprises a clutch I! which is rotatably mounted on the shaft H and rotated by the sprocket wheel 88 and the sprocket chain 8! leading to the motor (not shown in the drawings) and the clutch disc 82 which is keyed to the shaft H. The rotary clutch 58 is provided with a series of spaced peripheral lugs 63. A clutch dog 84 is pivoted to stud 88 of the clutch disc 62 and is so proportioned and arranged that when the clutch stop 68 is removed the tension of the spring 88 will cause the lug 66 to engage the surface 61 of the lugs 83 of the clutch.

The clutch stop 88 which normally holds the clutch dog 84 out of engagement with the clutch and thus causes the motor to idle, is keyed to the shaft 10, which is journaled in the base l2. Keyed to shaft 10 are also the stripper connecting lever H, the clutch release lever I2 and the landing plate quadrant 18. The clutch stop 68 as well as the levers ll, 12 and the plate 13. therefore, constitute a bell crank so that actuation of one will also cause actuation of each one of the others.

sliding members 43 by means The landing plate quadrant 13 is provided with an arcuate slot 14 in which engages the screwthreaded pin 15 of the link 54. The link is held in its adjusted position with respect to the landing plate by the tightening nut 16. Thus when it is desired to swing the frame from one position to another, the tightening nut 18 simply is loosened to permit the pin 15 of the link St to move in the slot I4, and then again is tightened in the adjusted position of the frame. It w i be understood from the foregoing that the entire gripper-stripper-guard combination can be actuated by either of the levers II or 12.

The free end of the clutch release lever 12 is provided with a roller I1 engaging the stripper cam 18 against the tension of the spring 18 which cam is mounted on the shaft l l for rotation therewith.

The lever Il may be connected through a conventional link mechanism with a foot treadle (not shown in the drawings) for actuation by the operator.

Inoperation, the object to be sealed is placed between the jaws i8 and I8. This may be in the form of tubular structure of paper or similar material provided with a coating of adhesive. such as thermoplastic or wax so that the action of the jaws will serve to seal the opening. The foot treadle is then depressed by the operator which will cause the lever H to be pulled down resulting in actuation of gripper-stripper-guard I! to cause it to engage the bag. During this operation the clutch stop 88 moves along the undersurface of the clutch dog it which will not be released until the latter has been cleared entirely by the stop. Therefore, the clutch will be disengaged and the jaw l8 remain stationary during this preliminary movement of the gripperstripper-guard.

When the clutch stop has cleared the clutch dog, however, the spring 88 will cause the lug 68 to engage in one of the spaces between the lugs 83 of the clutch which results in the cams 4| and 18 to be coupled to the motor. Assuming, the cam ii is in the lat the commencement of the preliminary actuation of the gripper-stripper-guard, the rod 28 will be pulled downward as the cam rotates in the direction of the arrow which causes the jaw l8 to close against the jaw II. The closing movement will be slightly delayed while the roller rides on the high surface. This length of surface corresponds to the are in which the frame maybeswung. '1hus,whentheframeisinhorlposition shown in Figure zontal position as shown in Figure 3 the roller" will engage the opposite end of the high surface.

As soon as the clutch dog 84 has been released. the foot of the operator may be removed from the treadle as the high surface of the cam 18 will then engage the roller 1! of the lever I2 so as to keep the lever H down and the gripperstripper-guard in closed position. It will be noted that the high surface of the cam I l is proportionately longer than the high surface of the cam 18. Thus the jaws will have returned to its disengaged position before the lever 12 engages the low surface of the cam 18 and snaps the clutch stop back inte position to disengage the clutch.

It will also be noted that the clutch cannot be engaged if the operator's fingers should be between laws. In this manner the member 4? acts as a guard.

Although the invention has been described specifically as applicable to heat sealing apparatus, it will be understood that it lends itself to other types of sealing methods. It will also be understood that the description is not given byway of limitation but may be given various impressions within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: a

1. In a sealing apparatus, a pair of oppositely disposed jaws, at least one of said jaws being movable with respect to the other jaw for engaging therebetween the material to be sealed, a reciprocable support for said movable jaw, means for reciprocating said support, said means including a rotatable shaft, a cam disc on said shaft, and a clutch mechanism for causing said cam disc to rotate with said shaft, a gripperstripper-guard member mounted for independent reciprocation in front of said jaws and also to engage the material to be sealed, means for moving said gripper-stripper-guard member, the last mentioned means including a lever, means carried by said lever for causing engagement between said cam disc and said rotatable shaft after a predetermined movement of said lever, means forv maintaining said gripper-stripperguard member in engaged position during the engaging movement of said movable jaw and to cause return movement of said gripper-stripperguard member after said movable jaw has been moved a predetermined distance towards its disengaged position, and also to disengage said clutch, the last mentioned means including a second cam disc on said shaft and a lever fulcrumed to the first mentioned lever operatively engaging the second cam disc and means for rotating said shaft.

2. In a sealing apparatus, a pair of oppositely disposed jaws, at least one of said jaws being movable with respect to the other jaw for engaging therebetween the material to be sealed, a reciprocable support for said movable jaw, means for reciprocating said support, said means including a rotatable shaft, a cam disc on said shaft, and a clutch mechanism for causing said cam disc to rotate with said shaft, a gripper-stripperguard member mounted for independent reciprocation in front of said jaws and also to engage the material to be sealed, means for moving said gripper-stripper-guard member, the last mentioned means including a lever, means carried by ment of said movable jaw and to cause return movement of said gripper-stripper-guardmemher after said movable jaw has been moved a predetermined distance towards its disengaged position and also to disengage said clutch, the last mentioned means including a second cam disc on said shaft and a lever operatively engaging the second cam disc, means for rotating said shaft and a frame carrying said jaws and said gripper-stripper-guard member, said frame being rotatable about said shaft for adjustment to various positions, and compensating means between said first mentioned lever and gripper-stripperguard member for actuating said member in the adjusted position.

3. In a sealing apparatus, a pair of oppositely disposed relatively movable jaws for engaging therebetween the material to be sealed, a gripper-stripper-guard member mounted for independent movement in front of said jaws, means for actuating said gripper-stripper-guard member, means for actuating at least one of said jaws to move said jaws toward and away from one another, said means including a rotatable shaft, a cam disc on said shaft and a clutch mechanism for causing said cam disc to rotate with said shaft, said clutch mechanism being controlled by said gripper-stripper-guard member, actuating means to cause rotation of said cam disc only after a predetermined movement of said gripper-stripper-guard, a frame carrying said jaws and said gripper-stripper-guard mounted for rotation about said shaft, for adjustment to various positions, and compensating means for rendering said gripper-stripper-guard actuating means effective in the various adjusted positions of said frame, and means for rotating said shaft.

4. In a sealing apparatus, a pair of oppositely disposed relatively movable jaws for engagingtherebetween the material to be sealed, a reciprocable support for-at least one of said jaws, means for reciprocating said support to move said jaws toward and away from one another, said means including a lever, a rotatable shaft, a cam disc on said shaft and a. connecting link between said cam disc and said lever, and a clutch mechanism for coupling said cam disc with said shaft, a gripper-stripper-guard member mounted for independent movement in front of said jaws, means for moving said gripper-stripper-guard member, the last mentioned means including a first lever and a second lever and connecting link between said levers, means for controlling said clutch mechanism carried by said second lever, the last mentioned means including a second cam disc on said shaft and a lever fulcrumed to said second lever and operatively connected to said second cam disc. and means for rotating said shaft.

5. In a sealing apparatus, a pair of oppositely disposed relatively movable jaws for engaging therebetween the material to be sealed, a reciprocable support for at least one of said jaws, means for reciprocating said support to move said jaws towards and away from one another, said means including a lever, a rotatable shaft, a cam disc on said shaft and a connecting link between said cam disc and said lever, and a clutch mechanism for coupling said cam disc with said shaft, a gripper-stripper-guard member mounted for independent movement in front of said jaws, means for moving said gripper-stripper-guard member, the last mentioned means including a first lever and a second lever and connecting link between said levers, means for controlling said clutch mechanism carried by said second lever, the last mentioned means lever and operative]! connected to disposed iaws ior clamping therebetween the per-guard member and their actuating means with control meanssaid framebeing rotatable about the exception of said second lever and said clutch nd-lever effective to actuate warmer-s per-guard member, and c'ontroi said clutch mechanism in the various adjusted positions of said frame.

a second cam disc on saidshait and a lever saidseeondsaid .sewnd cam disc, means for said shaft, and "a a frame carrying said jaws and said gripper-strip- 8. In .a sealing apparatus, a pairoi oppositely materialurbo sealed, ,one of said Jaws being muone'mme me: one oisaid jaws being movable toward and away tra n said Jaw, means for moving saidniovable jaw, saidmeans including a lever, a rotatable 'sha'ft' -a' cam disc onfsaid shaft and a connecting-rod between said disc and said lever; ,a frame for carrying said Jaws and said lever, said frame being rotatable about said shait for adjustment to various positions.

I GEORGE HENRY 

